Ascension
by Brian1
Summary: The truth about where Pokémon come from, how they came to be, what the Chosen One's true purpose really is, the final evolution that will change the world and, most importantly, an end to everything.
1. End

**Ascension**

**Chapter One: End**

A young man, no older then twenty-five, looked up towards the sky and frowned; it was dark and dreary as usual, and he wasn't sure whether it was like that because of gradual pollution build-up, or something else entirely. Before leaving for work he would always look at the sky, hoping against hope that the sun would shine through the darkened skies…but alas, the sun was simply not bright enough.

_I haven't seen the sun in five years now… _Sam mused, as he began his daily walk around the park, at least, what was left of it…

He noted with some sadness that the park looked even more trashed then before. Various items of trash littered the ground, and despite the best efforts of Pallet City's street cleaners, there was bound to be even more trash the next day. It didn't really matter though, since the grass had long died out, the pseudo-solar street lamps not doing any good; they were simply not the same thing as real sunlight.

Of course, littering wasn't the main concern of Pallet City; they had to deal with a disturbing rise in crime, drug dealing, and illegal prostitution…among other things. They had to deal with constant trouble with neighboring cities, especially that of Pewter City and Cerulean City, who saw it fit to dump off their criminals near Pallet City. Not only that, but Kanto was being blamed by the Johto and Hoenn regions for blocking out the sun. If it weren't for the fact that it would be utterly pointless, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn would've long been in a cold, bloody war.

Five years ago the skies had suddenly darkened for no apparent reason, and since then the sun hadn't been seen since. They had called this disastrous event "Night", and approximately ninety percent of the world had been enveloped in darkness, the remaining ten only touching a part of the vast ocean, where only minuscule islands were nestled. The world had to rely on pseudo-solar energy in order to grow produce, which was hard considering how much crime had raised during the aftermath of "Night".

The young man continued his walk, past the park and right into downtown, eventually coming upon his place of work: Silph Corporation, which had promised to help lead mankind into a bright, wonderful future, free of crime and pollution, although no one outside of the company knew how exactly they would go about doing such a thing.

He walked through the revolving doors, casually greeting both the two security cards and secretary with a smile, before hurrying towards the elevator.

_Today's the big day…_Sam thought with a mix of anxiety and exhilaration, as the elevator started its descent, to the underground lab that housed the true purpose for the founding of Silph Co., instead of the small offices and facilities which decorated the higher levels of the building.

His nervousness was replaced by a smug smile as soon as the elevator doors opened, which had revealed a woman whom he had gotten to know quite well over the course of five years. She had distinct violet hair that cascaded down to her shoulders, and her face was always bright and full of life. Ivy was her name, and needless to say she was quite the looker at the age of only twenty-three; despite her young age, however, he knew quite well that she was as intelligent, if not more so, then many of the other, significantly older researchers working on the _project_.

"Hello, Oak." she greeted him nonchalantly, her expression unreadable, "What's the password?"

"Beginning." he replied monotonously, knowing full well that she was just playing around with him. He wouldn't let her have _all_ the fun.

It surely must've been the correct answer, since her blank expression had turned to that of a faint smile, as they both proceeded, hand-in-hand, towards the door that lay ahead of them, where their future, as well as the future of the world, was currently being held…

-

She tried to cover her ears with her pillow, but the sound somehow was becoming louder and louder…

_How could anyone stand this? How does he manage to sleep with all that noise? _­she thought to herself, clenching her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to go back to sleep; it was way too early in the morning, and she needed her sleep after all that late night training that she and her boyfriend had done.

_I can't take it anymore! _she declared, as she started banging her fist on the wood above her, regretting the fact that she had actually suggested that she sleep on the bottom bunk of Ash's bed.

"What…what is it…?" mumbled a disoriented voice above her, "It's only 5 o'clock…it's too early to wake up, May…just give me five more minutes…"

Despite the fact that she thought her boyfriend's whining was cute, she needed sleep, and the only way for _her_ to sleep was for _him_ to be wide awake.

"I need sleep, Ash…your snoring is keeping me up…" she whispered irritably, not wanting to yell for fear of waking up Brock, who was sleeping in the guest room next door.

She saw his head poke out from above, a lopsided grin plastered on his face. "Sorry May, I was just having the greatest dream about you, and let me tell you, you were doing some pretty k-"

May smiled sweetly at him, before chucking another pillow into his face, causing him to fall off the top bunk in a heap of blankets and sheets (as well waking up an irate Pikachu in the process).

"You pervert..." she giggled, smiling innocently as Ash glared at her from under a pillow, before receiving a nasty Thundershock from his mouse-like pokémon.

-

The sun was shining (well, it felt like it), the Pidgey were singing (actually, they were still sleeping), and everything was right in the world (if you didn't count the abundance of carrots in the world, Team Rocket, and creepy bug pokémon)…at least for Misty Waterflower, the runt of the Waterflower sisters and the current Cerulean Gym Leader, much to her dismay.

"I can't wait to see Ash…it's been over a year since I've seen him and Brock…" she whispered happily, riding her bike in the direction of Pallet Town, with Togetic sitting in the basket mounted on the steering handles. Misty made sure that on her way to Pallet Town she was going to thank the Viridian Joy for fixing up her bike, since her best friend never really had the chance to save up money to buy her a new one.

"Toge-Togetic!" the misshaped egg squealed, as it waved its arms around in anticipation, having not seen Pikachu in a long time either.

She smiled down at her "happiness" pokémon, which she had raised from birth over two years ago. After Togepi had evolved into Togetic, the red-haired girl sometimes wondered how Pikachu would react to its 'nephew' suddenly towering over the electric-mouse.

"Sur-skit! Sur-skit!" squealed another pokémon, which was situated on the girl's well-worn league hat, which she had received from Ash's mother, who had given him new clothes to wear when he went to Hoenn; Delia apparently thought that Misty would appreciate having a piece of Ash to have, since she wouldn't be able to see him for at least a year.

"I know Surskit," she answered cheerfully, as she rode into Viridian City, "I didn't forget the plan. It's going to be great to see the look on his face when he sees us, but it'll be even better when you soak him wet with your Hydro Pump!"

"Surskit!" chirped the bug-water pokémon, which had been a birthday/Christmas "gift" from Ash to Misty. At first she had been revolted by it, since she had an intense hatred for all bug types, but she quickly warmed up to it, since it was part water, her favorite element (not to mention cute, but she would never tell Ash that).

The other reason she kept it was that it symbolized that Ash hadn't forgotten about her birthday (December 14th to be precise), but more importantly, it meant that he hadn't forgotten about _her_. All of those reasons were why Surskit always seemed to occupy space (along with Ash's old hat) on Misty's red-haired head.

Her eyes lit up, and she could almost feel rays of sunshine pouring down on her, despite the fact that it was only 5:30 am.

_Today is going to be the best day ever! I never thought I'd be saying this, but I can't wait to see you, Ash Ketchum! _she thought to herself, as she rode as fast as she could, hoping to get to Pallet Town before sunrise…

-

Gary Oak, grandson of the famous Professor Oak, allowed himself a small smile as he drank some coffee from his favorite mug. It had been over a year since he had decided to retire from journeying and instead, follow in the footsteps of his grandfather.

It hadn't been an easy transition at first, since he had been so used to traveling alone. He was used to training his well-loved pokémon in anticipation for his next big battle, or perhaps discovering another pokémon that he had never seen with his own eyes before.

Presently his daily routine consisted of watching his pokémon roam freely on the grounds of his grandfather's lab; and instead of finding rare pokémon, he (with help from his newfound friend Tracey) was learning about them in books.

He was a hands-on person, not the type that would sit down all day and…read. However, his grandfather had said that the first steps to becoming a real pokémon researcher was to learn as much as you can, before you go off to do field research. Despite the fact that Gary had been doing plenty of research on his journey, he wanted to make his grandfather proud, and show that he had grown up considerably.

"I wonder what dusty book I'll have to read today…the book from yesterday didn't even have any words in it, just a bunch of old sketches made by gramps years ago…" he mused, as he took another sip from his mug.

While he watched various pokémon beginning to wake up (which included Ash's unusually large herd of Tauros) through a kitchen window, a sudden, unrelated thought flashed in his head.

_I wonder…if she found what she was looking for. I wasn't able to find her…but still…wherever she is now…I hope she's found happiness._

He sighed wistfully as he dumped what remained of his coffee into the sink, and then proceeded to go upstairs to wake Tracey, since they were supposed to get some updates from Ash's Bulbasaur on how things were going on in the ranch.

-

"Caterpie?" "Daddy?" chirped the small bug pokémon, as it crawled over to its father, who was perched on a branch, its large, compound eyes gazing towards the sea. Her father would often do this whenever her mom was away collecting honey, although she never knew why he did.

"Butterfree, Butter-Free? Free Butterfree?" "Hello, my adorable little Caterpie. What would you be doing up here?" he asked, urging her to come closer.

"Cater-caterpie?" "Why do you look sad, daddy? Are you watching something sad?" she asked tentatively, noticing how her usually happy-go-lucky dad looked more reserved today.

The large Butterfree held his youngest daughter in his (relatively short) arms, allowing her to view the expansive, lush green forest before them.

"Butterfree, Free Butterfree." "I'm just thinking about my trainer, that's all. I have this feeling that trouble is in his future, although I'm not exactly sure why I feel this..."

"Caterpie, cater?" "You mean that Ash, that great trainer who trained you so well that you have the record for a Caterpie-Metapod-Butterfree evolution?"

The large bug pokémon laughed a little, wondering when he had said the word "great". If he remembered correctly, Ash had sent him to have his first battle against a Pidgeotto, even though he clearly was a bug pokémon. Then there was the time when he was a Metapod, and he had to face off against another Metapod…which was pretty funny, if it weren't for the fact that entirety of the match was based on who could use Harden the best.

"Butterfree-free-free-butter." "Yes, that Ash. I was only with him for a short time, but I was his first captured pokémon, so I guess that means I have a special bond with him, kind of like his bond with Pikachu. Over the years I've sensed times when he was in grave trouble, like-"

"Caterpie! Caterpie?" "You mean when the world almost ended, because of the Legendary Birds?" she cut in, remembering the incident, despite the fact that she was only a week old when it happened. It had been the most frightening experience in her life up to this point, especially since her father and mother almost left to help, just in case Ash hadn't been able to save the day.

Butterfree nodded slowly, he too remembering the event. Many pokémon had felt the disturbance when the balance had been broken, and many of them had rushed to the scene, in case they were needed. He and his wife almost went, but were stopped by the fact that they had to watch over their two sons and recently born daughter.

"Caterpie Caterpie…?" "Do you think that Ash will save the day again, in case more trouble comes along? Just like how he always beats Team Rocket?"

Butterfree held his daughter close, unsure of what to say, since _he _had no idea this time. He could only hope that things would turn out okay in the end…

"Butterfree Butterfree..." "Yes…I'm sure he'll save the day once again, so don't you worry…nothing bad is going to happen. Things will be the same as they've always been…just like how you and I always watch the sunrise…"

Caterpie chirped happily as her father held her closer, both of them feeling relieved as they saw rays of sunshine peek through the mountains…

**To be continued**


	2. Dawn

**Ascension**

**Chapter Two: Dawn**

"Is everything ready, Dr. Oak?" asked a female figure, her tone of voice making it sound more of a command that that of a question.

The young man felt himself shiver slightly, despite the fact that he had nothing to fear from the head of Silph Co. She was known to be cold and calculating, but it was also common knowledge around the staff that she would not do anything to jeopardize such an important project as this one…

In addition, they had known each other for years, going all the way back to when they were in high school. They were what people would call "friends"…

"Almost, commander. The simulations have gone smoothly, showing no sign of any deviation. However, there appears to be minimal side effects, such as geography changing and such, but they will not interfere with the process-"

"How minimal?" she interrupted, her face remaining impassive.

He stammered for a few moments, before finding the right words. "Well, the best example I can think of is that Cinnabar Island will remain intact…"

She raised an eyebrow at this revelation. "I do not find something like that minimal, Dr. Oak. Are there any more side effects from the project?"

"Most of them are cosmetic, ma'am. Pallet City, which we know as a metropolis, will be reduced to a simple town; many of the other cities will change depending on where they are, as well. Mt. Silver will become a simple, barren shell of a volcano, and the same goes for Mt. Pyre. Apparently the biggest side effect is that the Hoenn region will not be connected to the Kanto and Johto regions-"

A very faint smile appeared on the female's face. "Then…it seems that everything is going according to plan, Dr. Oak. Tell everyone in the labs to prepare, for today will be the day that Project D becomes a reality…"

-

Brendan Birch, the only child of the widely respected Professor Birch, felt himself begin to worry as his prized Medicham fell with one Earthquake. This trainer was unlike anyone he had ever seen before. All the people he had battled up to this point, with the exception of Ash Ketchum, were nothing compared to this unbelievably amazing…girl. He thought he was a pretty good trainer, considering the fact that he placed fifth in the Hoenn League this year…but this girl that he was battling at the moment could have easily taken first place…

"Altaria, use Dragon Dance!" he commanded shakily, his eyes never leaving his opponent's.

His blue-skinned dragon started to twirl around on its cloud, powering up its attack and speed in the process. However, the other, larger, orange-skinned dragon didn't even flinch; it merely stood there, it's fierce eyes showing no fear.

"Use Outrage, Dragonite." she commanded smoothly, as if the match was already in the bag. Her Dragonite bowed its head and seemed to almost curl up, before releasing countless streams of orange energy towards Brendan's Altaria.

"Dodge it Altaria, and use Steel Wing!" he shouted frantically, knowing full well that his Altaria couldn't survive an Outrage, even if he had no idea what that orange-skinned dragon was capable of. If only he had his pokédex with him to identify the unknown dragon-type, but he had made the mistake of loaning it to his friend, Wally, a few days ago…

The bird-like dragon narrowly dodged the streams of energy, which managed to strike a nearby group of trees instead, causing them to disintegrate into countless splinters. Brendan's eyes widened in amazement at the amount of damage caused by just one attack…that could've seriously harmed his Altaria…

"Now Altaria, Steel Wing!" he exclaimed, and watched proudly as his Altaria, which he had caught as a baby Swablu, rammed the Dragonite with steel tipped wings.

_After that Dragon Dance + Steel Wing combo from Altaria that Dragonite should be toast! _thought Brendan, suddenly regaining the confidence he had lost when his Medicham fell.

"Use Steel Wing again!" he commanded, watching intently as his Altaria circled quickly around the Dragonite, before charging right at him-

"Hyper Beam."

Brendan didn't have the chance to issue another command, as his Altaria was knocked out cold by a huge beam of white-orange energy. He had seen Hyper Beam attacks performed before (like when he had battled Norman's Slaking), but those were nothing compared to this. He was shocked as he recalled his fallen dragon, unable to grasp the fact that he had lost so badly.

"Who…are you? How did you manage to do that? Altaria are supposed to have naturally high defenses…yet with just one Hyper Beam…how…? Who are you…?" he asked in a hushed tone, fear evident in his features.

She wasn't like anyone he had ever met; her clothes were not native to the Hoenn region. She wore a dark green blouse and tan khakis, and she had a boy's backpack instead of a girl's standard hip-bag. Her hair was a fluffy brown, and she had what he could only describe as pure emerald colored-eyes…

A small, barely noticeable smile appeared on the girl's face. At least, that's what it looked like to Brendan, although he wasn't quite sure what the intentions were behind it…

Before he could mutter another word she hopped on to her Dragonite, put a red cap on her head, and started to fly away, towards where the sun was beginning to rise…

Brendan could only watch dumbfounded, realizing he hadn't received a single answer to any of his questions.

-

"Pika?"

"No, Pikachu. This'll ruin your appetite, girl." he answered sternly, waving a finger at his long-time companion.

"Pika pi!"

"But you know as well as I do that cookies make you slow in battle, since you end up eating half the bag!" he replied, his voice slightly muffled from shoving another chocolate cookie in his mouth.

His little Pikachu, who he had never seen as a Pichu, nor evolved as a Raichu, pouted and folded its tiny arms, its cheeks crackling with a faint amount of electricity; more then once had it used Thundershock on her trainer, and at the moment it seemed like the perfect time to do so.

"Piiikaaachuuuu-" it squealed, ready to unleash its powerful electric energy at her unsuspecting trainer-

"Hey, did you hear that? It sounded like the doorbell…"

Only to be stopped by a simple doorbell. The crackling sound of energy being collected stopped, and the small mouse sighed, realizing it had been foiled. It decided that it would be more fun to bother May instead, so it ran upstairs, leaving its master to his own devices.

Ash chewed another cookie thoughtfully as he went to answer the door, wondering who could be coming to visit so early in the morning. Gary was usually awake by now, but he was working so hard at the ranch that there was rarely time for him to sit down and chat. Tracey was a heavy sleeper, especially when it came to the weekends, so he was out of the question as well.

_Who could it be?_ Ash pondered, as he came upon the door, opened it, and found something blazingly fast attaching itself on to his face, causing him to go blind as he struggled to shake it off…

Unbeknownst to him, a girl a few feet away was watching him struggle with a devious glint in her eyes, and along with a devilish smile to boot…

-

"Bulba-bulbasaur!" grumbled the tiny grass/poison pokémon, as it vine whipped an Espeon and Umbreon, who looked like they were about to get into a scuffle. It wasn't an easy job, nor did it pay well (actually, it paid nothing at all), but it was satisfying to take care of all these pokémon, just like how it used to do it back at his first home.

"Hey Bulbasaur, how are things going on the ranch?" asked Gary, as he dragged a still-sleeping Tracey behind him.

"Bulba Bulba." replied the grass-type, as it held the Espeon and Umbreon with its vine whips, the two Eevee evolutions trying their best to struggle free, only to be slammed against one another, knocking them both unconscious.

"The usual, eh?" chuckled the brown-haired boy, as he reached down to pet the grass type, who responded with an uncharacteristic sigh of relief, having not been petted in a long while.

_Bulbasaur_ _looks so much like that other one…_Gary mused, as he looked down at Ash's Bulbasaur with fascination, _In fact, it looks exactly the same, except that the other Bulbasaur was a lot more timid…and her trainer…she was something else entirely…_

Gary lowered his head, his eyes closed as he tried to remember what that trainer looked like. It had been four years since he had last seen her…

"What the? Where am I?" grumbled a groggy voice, "I thought I was sleeping in bed…hey, uh…Gary?"

"Yeah?" he answered nonchalantly.

"You dragged me out of bed again, didn't you?" hissed Tracey, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, not knowing that he was still clad in his pajamas.

"No…uh…Bulbasaur did it. Gotta go, need to check up on the water pokémon!" replied Gary with a laugh, as he started running off towards the lake area, with an irate and still sleepy Tracey chasing after him.

"Bulba?" mumbled the grass-type, as it went about the task of carrying the still-unconscious Espeon and Umbreon back to their mother.

-

"I didn't think that was very funny…" grumbled Ash, as he plunked himself down on the grass, wiping his face in disgust, "Gah…I'm still wet…"

His companion sat beside him, her face full of mirth as she nudged him with her shoulder. "I especially loved the look of pure terror on your face…"

"Surskit?" squealed the small bug, as it claimed it's usual spot on the red-haired girl's head.

"You know, I didn't give you that Surskit so that you could teach it to latch on to my face and then use Hydro Pump…that was pretty devious of you to do that, Misty…"

"I know, but I couldn't resist it Ash…it's so easy to get you spooked."

Despite being soaking wet with water, Ash smiled…it was nice to have his best friend back after a year without her. He missed her complaining, he missed her whining, he missed her love of the water, he missed her hate of peppers, carrots, and bugs, he missed her "clever insight" on his training, and well…he missed her…

"It's nice to have you back, Misty. Things weren't quite the same without you..." he said sheepishly, looking at her and noticing that she was wearing the hat that his mother had sent to her.

"You're wearing my old hat…"

It was her turn to smile, as she held his hand in hers, much to his surprise. "I hope you're not mad. Your mom sent it to me, and I've been using it whenever I battled trainers at the gym. It's brought me a lot of luck…"

Ash puffed his chest up proudly. "Of course it's brought you luck! It is my old league hat after all-"

"Dumb luck, that is…" she finished with a giggle, "You can't imagine how many trainers have been distracted by this stupid old hat…for some reason, they seem intimidated by it…"

"Probably because they've heard of the great Ash Ketchum from Pallet, who traveled through Kanto and Johto with that famous hat!" he said hopefully, imagining that people spread rumors and tales about a boy with a red-and-white hat, who dominated every trainer he came across. Besides, he had managed to get fourth place in the Hoenn finals, and that was no easy feat in itself, considering that the competition was fierce as they come…

"Can't be. They said something about being scared of a girl with a red-and-white hat…and unless you've been secretly hiding the fact that you're a girl, I doubt it's you." she said, grinning like an idiot as her friend groaned.

He lay back on the grass, noticing that the sky was beginning to brighten a bit. "Hey…isn't this the place where you fished me out?"

She looked around, and found that they were sitting on the hill where she had been fishing, all those years ago. On closer inspection she found the lake a few feet away, although it looked quite smaller then the last time they had been there.

"Yeah…" she replied, lying down next to him, "The lake's a little smaller, so I guess that means you won't be chased by a Gyarados again…"

He smiled at the memory, despite the fact that he and Pikachu had almost been eaten. If it weren't for Misty fishing him out in time, he would've been a goner.

"Look, Ash…" she whispered, brushing her hand against his, "The sun is coming up…"

-

"Cacturne?" asked the grass/dark pokémon, as it held out a bag of cookies for its master to open.

"Alright, but don't complain if this ruins your appetite!" half-complained James, as he happily opened his bag, much to his female companion's dismay.

"James, I really think we should save some of the food…" she grumbled tiredly, as she lay back on the grass with her Seviper next to her and her Dustox flying overhead, "We haven't had a decent meal in weeks, and we're running out of food…"

"Wobbuffet!" cried out a squinty-eyed pokémon, seemingly popping out of nowhere, only to be returned to its pokéball by an irate Jessie.

"I wonder how Arbok and Weezing are doing right now…" mused Jessie, absently noticing how similar her old Arbok and new Seviper looked, "Do you think they're okay?"

"I bet they're doing great. After all, they're big and strong from all that experience fighting the twerp's Pikachu, so all those Ekans and Koffing that they are taking care of are in good hands…err…if they had hands…" replied James, munching down another cookie with his cactus-shaped pokémon.

"I guess you're right, James…for once." she said mockingly, sighing wistfully at the thought of her Arbok.

"Hey! I resent that!" cried out James in a muffled voice, his mouth stuffed with two more cookies.

"Mmm…I wonder where the twerps are up to…" Jessie pondered aloud, before her view of the morning sky was blocked as she witnessed a huge orange dragon speeding past her, with a human riding on its backside.

"Did you see that?" Jessie asked in a daze, her hair in disarray from the sonic boom left in the dragon's wake, "It…it messed up my hair…!"

"That's a rare pokémon!" cried Meowth, in complete awe at the speed of the thing, "We've got to go steal it for the boss!"

"And look…it was heading for where the twerps are staying…" James added, about to eat another cookie before having it skillfully stolen by his scarecrow-like pokémon.

-

"No, please, don't do it! No more! No more!"

Brock Slate, former gym leader of the Pewter City Gym, woke up in a cold sweat, having had yet another nightmare about a certain professor he had met and stayed with on Valencia Island…

"I-I-Ivy…" he muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his head to calm himself down. He thought he had gotten rid of these nightmares, but apparently they were starting to come back…

He hated that name…he wouldn't even let his friends mention it, because just the sound of it caused him to go into fits of depression and anger over what had transpired. She was supposed to be his boss, yet…yet the things she did…

Sighing, he got out of bed and started to get dressed. He was supposed to talk with Professor Oak about how to properly take care of his Steelix, which had evolved after adding a Metal Coat to it. His Onix had hated to lose, especially to smaller pokémon such as Pikachu, Phanpy, and Tyranitar…so it had asked Brock to help it become stronger, even if it had to evolve to do so. At first Brock didn't like the idea, since he had known Onix since he was eight, but if you were afraid of change then you would never grow up and mature.

"Off to Professor…Oak's laboratory…" he whispered shakily, still trying to get the female professor's image out of his head as he left the guest room…

-

"I love watching the sunrise…it's like every dawn signals the beginning of a bright new day…" said Misty in a faint whisper, as she held on to Ash's hand with her own, determined not let him run off.

Ash, on the underhand, started to feel a little guilty doing this. After all, he was with May and he liked her…and he was probably just being paranoid. Misty was his friend, and nothing romantic was happening anyways…they were just holding hand, like how some friends do after not having seen each other for a long, long time…

Besides…he missed Misty, and he sure didn't want to ruin this quiet, peaceful moment with her.

"Yeah…it sure is…" he whispered back happily, tightening his grip on his friend's hand, as they watched their first dawn together after a year of being apart…

No one noticed as a brown-haired girl ran away from her hiding spot behind a large tree, tears flowing from her eyes as she realized that she had just lost the only thing that meant anything to her…

**To be continued**


	3. Revelation

**Ascension**

**Chapter Three: Revelation**

The male scoffed as his female companion's request. "I don't think that would be a very good idea, Rose…we could get caught…"

"Oh, dear…you're so stiff about intimacy sometimes…" she replied blandly, her sultry smile replaced with a pout, "Sometimes I wonder why I married you in the first place…"

"But dear, today's a very important day, remember?" he replied in a distracted tone, busily typing at a computer terminal, "We've got to make sure everything goes according to plan…otherwise grave things might happen…"

"Like what?" she asked casually, twirling around in her chair like how a child would, despite the fact that she was a highly respected scientist, "It's not like anything bad will happen…"

The clicking sounds of typing stopped, and he faced her with a grim expression. "Well, you and I might not be married anymore, for one thing. I don't want to lose you, when it happens…that's why I'm making sure all the calculations are correct…'"

Her face softened, and her eyes became wide with fear at the very thought. "I…I'm sorry dear. I didn't think that you'd be doing all of that work just to make sure that we…don't get separated."

"Everything I do…I do for you, Rose Waterflower…" he said quietly, his eyes admiring her beautiful face and fiery red hair, "You're my everything…without you, I'm nothing…"

Rose's eyes started to glisten, and she embraced him, not caring if any of the other researchers saw them. "Now I remember why I married you, Jack Waterflower…you've got that funny way with words that make me feel like I'm something important…"

"Is that the only reason, Mrs. Waterflower?" replied Jack, winking suggestively.

"Well, Mr. Waterflower…" she whispered happily, "Your last name sure looks better on me then it does on you…"

-

"Commander?" asked a huge figure, dressed in a lab coat and sandals, "Can I…have a word with you?"

She examined him for a moment, before motioning for him to sit down. "What do you want to discuss with me, Dr. Birch?"

He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I…I'm having some second thoughts about the project."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I don't…I don't think we should be playing God, you know? What if something goes wrong? What if our calculations are off, as many of us have feared? What if…what if the world is destroyed, because of what we are going to do?" he said, his voice filled with concern.

She stared at him, a long, piercing gaze that made him want to run, run as far away as he could; he had heard of people voicing their opinions on the project, and rumors spread around, saying that she dealt with those people in harsh and brutal ways. He was a large man, bigger then anyone else working on Project D, but he was gentle, and never tried to use his size to intimidate people; just being in the same room with the commander made him terrified.

He flinched as she suddenly stood up, wondering if she was going to reach for a gun or weapon of some kind. Instead, she had simply turned around, with her back facing him.

"Tell me, Dr. Birch…how has the 'Night' affected you, personally?"

He was not expecting this at all, and it showed as he stuttered for a few seconds. "Well, ma'am…I…I…"

"Your son, Brendan…how is he doing right now?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Is…is that a threat, ma'am…?"

"No, Dr. Birch. You'll know when it is. Now…answer the question."

"He's…doing fine. Why do you want to know?"

She turned around to face him, her features void of any emotion. "War will be coming soon, if Project D is not initiated today."

"What does that have to do with my son?"

"Ever since 'Night' began he's been sick, am I correct?"

"Right…" he answered, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"It's because he hasn't been getting enough nutrients, right? The produce made using pseudo-solar energy isn't good enough…it's nothing compared to real sunlight."

He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Yes…he's very sick right now, actually…I…I don't know what to do."

"And that frustrates you, since you are one of the world's greatest minds?"

"Yes…everyday I feel more useless…because I have to watch him suffer needlessly…"

"Dr. Birch…like I mentioned before…war is coming. Your son Brendan…no matter how sick he may be, will be drafted into the army, and he will be killed in a pointless battle over practically nothing." she said calmly, returning to her large, leather seat.

His head remain lowered, realizing that she was right. If he didn't help with Project D, then his son would die, instead of what would happen if Project D were to be initiated.

"You…you're right, commander. I'm sorry…I just…I had thought that Project D might not be beneficial to mankind-"

She cut him off. "It will be, Dr. Birch. Just think about it…no more wars…no more 'Night'…we will be able to fix all of our mistakes, and bring humanity into a new age of enlightenment-"

"Even though we'll never get to see it…I mean, we will, but not…us."

"It is worth it, don't you agree?"

"As long as I get to see my son healthy again…then it's worth it. Thank you for your time, Commander Ketchum." he said, bowing before turning around and walking out of her spacious office.

Commander Delia Ketchum allowed herself a small smile, confident in the knowledge that Project D would commence, after years upon years of research and calculating.

_Soon…_

-

She felt so foolish. Of course he would end up with his first love…

Her boyfriend's Pikachu had woken up her, and since she couldn't get back to sleep, so she had gone downstairs to get something to eat when she had seen them together. The red-haired girl was laughing, while her dripping-wet boyfriend had a Surskit on his face. Soon after that she secretly followed them, until they came to stop near a small lake.

Her little brother Max must've been laughing right now. It didn't matter that he was in Petalburg City at the moment…she just knew for a fact that he must've been laughing his head off.

She had to run faster…the further away, the better.

Her little brother had told her that it was a mistake to like Ash. Her brother had said that Ash was too dense and a horrible pokémon trainer…he had said that it would only end up badly between her and Ash, because she was the other girl in his life, and that she was not as pretty as Misty.

She was still running, with no place in particular to go to.

Her father must be shaking his head right now. He must have been so disappointed in his only daughter, the daughter who he had placed all his hopes and dreams on. She knew, deep in her heart, that her father would have been much happier if she was a boy, instead of the tomboy that she tried her best to be.

She didn't like running away…she didn't want to run away. But she had to…it was the only thing she could do.

Her friend Wally must've been grinning ear to ear, wherever he was. He had had the biggest crush on her since the day she had moved to Petalburg City, and she could've sworn that he had tried to propose to her on at least three separate occasions. He was sort of frail and sickly back then, which made her feel bad for him, but now it looked like things had come full circle.

She felt sick and tired…her throat felt raw…and her lungs burned, as if they were on fire.

Her mother told her that love was something that was built on trust and friendship.

She wanted to trust Ash.

Her father taught how to be tough and not let your emotions get the better of you. You had to maintain balance in your life, before you could pursue other things.

She fell to the ground, not seeing the rock fast enough in time. She groaned in pain, half from the fall and half from her exhausted lungs, and lifted her head up to see where she was. A few yards away she could make out a small house, with a white picket fence and well-kept garden.

That was Ash's house.

"Perfect…" she muttered under her breath, before feeling a wave of fatigue starting to wash over her.

The last thing she thought of before slipping into unconsciousness was Ash, and how happy he must be, now that the love of his life had returned for good.

-

Professor Oak was an all around nice sort of guy, at least to Brock. The guy had always been so supportive of Ash, despite the fact that Ash's rival had once been Gary Oak. He never knew why exactly, considering the circumstances, but it didn't matter; it was not his place to ask.

He sighed as he saw the familiar lab in full view. Professor Oak, despite his absented minded nature, had a knack for knowing exactly what was wrong. Perhaps it was because of having to observe pokémon behavior all his life, or maybe he was psychic…but either way, Professor Oak must've known why he had been acting so funny when he had arrived in Pallet after the Orange League games were over.

Of course, Brock wasn't angry with the Professor…he just didn't know what to say, or how to describe what he went through.

_How could anyone describe Hell? _he mused darkly, his pace quickening, despite his anxiety.

_Professor Oak is going to ask me how I'm doing, I bet. He'll make small talk about the weather, and how healthy Steelix looks. Then somehow the conversation will wander back to why I freaked out every time Professor Iv-her name was mentioned…_

Without realizing it he was already on the front steps leading to the laboratory. He sighed once more, before ringing the bell, which would most likely wake up the professor in case he was still asleep.

-

"Hello, father. Pleasant morning, isn't it?" she remarked, causing her father to blink in confusion. He had been cooking breakfast for his little girl, who had been sitting at the table quietly, and well…everything had seemed perfectly normal. However, when he had turned around to ask her what type of eggs she wanted, he had found a teenage girl sitting in her place, looking back at him with innocent eyes.

Professor Spencer Hale, who was still dressed in his morning robe, widened his eyes in horror. "What have you done with my little girl? Molly? Where are you Molly?"

She giggled at him. "You don't have to be so dramatic, daddy. It's just me, your nine-year-old daughter Molly!"

"But how can I tell the difference? The girl I see before me is mature and well mannered, unlike my own daughter…" he said with mock-sadness in his tone.

A bright flash filled the room, and right before his eyes his daughter had reverted back to her nine-year-old self.

"Didn't your mother tell you not to use your powers around the mansion? We still haven't been able to figure out why the Unown are still with you, or why they aren't causing any harm…" he said in a concerned voice.

She smiled at him knowingly. "Don't worry, daddy. The Unown are my friends. They helped me when I was sad, and they brought back you and mommy. They didn't know what they were doing when all that crystal started popping up…they said they were very sorry about that."

"But Molly…"

"They said that I have a very important purpose in what will come. That's why they are still with me."

Spencer immediately hushed, shocked to hear something so serious coming from his daughter.

"They say that I have to go help the Chosen One when the time is right. Something very important is going to happen."

He dropped the spatula he had been using to cook the eggs, his mouth wide open, yet no words would come out. _Didn't Delia tell me that Ash was…?_

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, exactly. But don't worry daddy!" she said with a cheerful grin, "Everything's going to be just fine!"

-

"Gardevoir! What are you doing girl?" Wally shouted frantically, watching helplessly as it used Psychic on his Delcatty, knocking it out instantly.

"I have to help you."

Wally froze. Was his Gardevoir talking to him? He thought that pokémon could only say their names…but then again, she was a psychic type, and a powerful one at that.

"Help me with what? I'm not sick and frail anymore…" he said, pounding his chest to emphasize his point, "I feel much better now that I'm a pokémon trainer!"

"You don't understand, master."

"No…I don't I understand. What's with you? How come you aren't listening to me?"

"I apologize, master. But I have to do what must be done. I cannot lose you."

"What must be done? Lose me? Gardevoir…what's going on?"

"You cannot, nor will you understand. I do not like what I am going to do, but it is for your own good."

"Gardevoir! I can take care of myself…I don't need you making decisions for me, especially if they involve you wigging out on me!"

"I will not fail, master. Don't worry. I will return soon, and then we won't have to worry about being separated."

"But…I don't understand! What are you going to do?"

"The Chosen One…I have to find him, before it is too late. I will see you soon, master."

Before Wally could wonder what she meant she disappeared in a flash of blinding bright light.

"She used Teleport…but where is she going…?" he said helplessly, wondering if he'd ever see her again.

-

"And so then this trainer comes along…he was like, from Johto or something…and he has this insane notion that if he used a fire pokémon he could evaporate the water out of my pokémon," she said, grinning from ear to ear, "You should've seen the look on his face when he lost in less then a minute, it was so sad…."

He smiled at the imagery. "That sounds kind of like me…I mean, the old me, you know?"

"Oh really? You mean you aren't sending poor Bayleef against Scizors anymore?"

He blushed and looked away, suddenly finding the sky very interesting. "Um…maybe…occasionally…but Bayleef is really strong…?"

"Riiight. You know, Ash…one of these days you're gonna have to learn what types are strong against what…" she said, shaking her head in disapproval.

"All I need to win is friendship and heart, Misty!" he exclaimed proudly, "After all, it's what has gotten me through the Kanto, Orange, Johto, and Hoenn Leagues!"

She smiled at him. "Well…you do have a point…sort of. I'm really happy that you managed to place fourth in the Hoenn League…I only wish I could've been there in person to cheer you on, instead of watching it on TV…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I knew you were cheering me on, even though you were hundreds of miles away."

"But Ash…I could've closed the gym and flown over there, so that I could-"

"So that you could cheer me on, at the cost of disappointing a few eager trainers who wanted to battle the great Cerulean Gym Leader?" he said, crossing his arms.

"I guess…you have a point there, Ash." she replied with a wry smile, "It looks like your arguing skills have improved dramatically since the last time I've seen you. What happened to my sweet, dense Ash?"

He blushed awkwardly at that, wondering when he had become "hers". "I…um…well…the thing is…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, however, as a huge orange tinted blur zoomed past them, leaving a sonic boom in its wake.

Misty, who had managed to duck to the ground in time, looked around in a daze as she slowly stood up. "Did…was that…a Dragonite?"

"Wait a minute…wasn't it heading towards…oh no! Misty…it was heading towards Pallet Town!" cried Ash frantically, his mind working fervently on remembering anyone who might've held a grudge against him, besides Team Rocket.

"What are we going to do, Ash? We can't get there in time…at least not on foot…" she said.

"Then we'll have to chase after it! Go Charizard!" he exclaimed, throwing out a red-and-white ball into the air.

Ash had drawn out his fire/flying pokémon, and soon they were riding on its back as it raced after the Dragonite, all of them hoping that they weren't too late…

-

_Almost there…_

_It's been so long…_

_Since I've been…home._

**To be continued**


	4. Reunion

**Ascension**

**Chapter Four: Reunion**

"Working on another one of your perverted experiments, Dr. Elm?" she remarked, looking at the two large tubes in the room with interest.

He looked back at her with a deathly glare. "This is a part of Project D, Dr. Ivy, but you probably wouldn't know that anyways, since you and Dr. Oak seem to indulge yourselves in your own little games quite often…"

She grinned, not at all offended like he thought she would be. "You're just jealous that you can't get a real woman…"

"What are you trying to imply?" he said through clenched teeth.

"I'm saying that the only women that you'll ever go near," she pointed to the large glass tubes in the middle of the room, "are the ones that you're creating in this very lab. Don't you think that's just…sad?"

He growled at her. "Those girls in there…they are part of Project D. I don't like what you are trying to insinuate, so I'd suggest you leave, unless you want me to-"

"No need, Dr. Elm. I was about to let myself out anyways," she said in a bored tone, turning around and walking towards the entrance, "I'm sure you'd love some alone time with your girls."

She was gone before he could reply, but it was better that way. He didn't want to lose his temper and strangle her…he had other, more important things to concentrate on at the moment.

_Today's the day…_ Elm thought to himself, as he gazed upon the two glass tubes in the center of the room, the first one containing a pink-haired girl, while the second one contained an azure-haired girl.

"My wonderful daughters…Joy…Jenny…you two will help lead us into the future…" he said, his voice filled with pride as he gazed upon the two girls.

-

"That thing is fast…too fast…" mumbled Ash, barely able to make out the Dragonite that was racing ahead of them, as well as the trainer that was riding on top of it.

_It could be something sent from Team Rocket…but why would a person be on it? Why go to Pallet_ _Town? No one rides a Dragonite into Pallet without wanting to do some serious damage…and since I've caused plenty of damage to Team Rocket…then…that means…no!_

_All the people I care about are there!_

_Mom…Professor Oak…Brock…Tracey…Gary_…

…_May…_

_May…I hope you're safe right now…I wouldn't want anything to happen to you…I-_

"Ash! It's heading right for Professor Oak's laboratory!" Misty cried out, pointing towards the orange-skinned dragon, which had started to nosedive towards the town's only laboratory.

"Come on Charizard, we've got to catch up to that Dragonite!"

Charizard nodded its head, before swiftly diving in after the Dragonite as fast as it could without throwing off its passengers.

-

"Sorry for not answering the door sooner, Brock, but I…overslept." Professor Oak yawned, enjoying the rays of sunshine beating down on him. "What wonderful weather we're having, don't you think so?"

"It's no trouble Professor Oak, I didn't wait too long." replied Brock, raising an eyebrow.

A smile lit up Professor Oak's face as he rubbed his hands in anticipation. "Well then, let's get right down do it, shall we? Why don't we take a good look at your Steelix?"

"Go Steelix!" Brock threw a pokéball in the air, causing his large steel-type pokémon to appear in a flash of bright light.

The huge steel snake roared proudly, happy to show off its new, more powerful form.

"What do you think?" Brock asked, although he had a feeling that Professor Oak was going to bring up the subject of…her.

"Your Steelix looks very healthy, and lot happier then the last time I examined him." said Professor Oak, rubbing the steel plated pokémon affectionately. "I recommend you keep Steelix away from staying in the water for long periods of time, because it'll rust him pretty badly. You might also want to change its food to a bigger serving, since Steelix tend to eat quite a lot more."

Steelix roared in agreement, obviously happy that its master's friend suggested that more food be given.

"Thanks for the advice Professor Oak." the squinty-eyed teenager said, as he recalled his Steelix back into it's ball. "I guess I should be going now, mom and dad asked if I could drop by Pewter City today and-"

"Didn't you say your mom was dead?" asked the older man in bewilderment.

Brock blinked. "I said that? I don't remember saying that…"

"Actually, I think Professor Ivy mentioned that awhile back." replied Oak, putting his hand to his chin. "So what did happen then?"

Brock shuddered at the mention of…her name…but quickly regained his composure. "Well…my dad left the family to become a pokémon master, which left my mom and the kids without someone to take care of them. She couldn't handle it either, so she left too, leaving me to take care of them…"

"And now she's back?"

"Yeah…she came home a year ago, about the time Ash was starting out in Hoenn. I find out when I saw the Pewter City Gym painted in pastel colors and a bunch of water pokémon swimming around in an indoor swimming pool. My dad was freaked out, because he couldn't open the gym under such unusual conditions."

"What about the fact that his wife had returned? Shouldn't he have been more concerned about that?"

"Err…that's hard to explain. My mom and dad haven't always seen eye to eye, especially when you factor in their choice of pokémon; dad uses rock types, while mom seems to have a thing for water types. They both seemed to have a knack for leaving behind the family …" Brock added painfully, still wondering why his mom and dad had left all those years ago.

Professor Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's kind of like you and Misty, eh?"

Brock blinked in surprise, not expecting that at all. "Huh?"

"Well, you used to specialize in rock types, while Misty seemed to love water types. Both of you left Ash at one point, and both of you consider Ash to be like family. Sorry for being so introspective, but I just…thought it seemed quite interesting." remarked the professor casually, as if his comments didn't matter at all.

The teenager blinked once more before continuing with his story. "Anyways…mom defeated dad in a pokémon battle, and that somehow sparked their relationship all over again. Right now they're training my ten year old brother to be the next gym leader…"

"The heat of being in battle must've rekindled the heat of their romance!" Professor Oak joked, although Brock tried his best not to groan in embarrassment.

"Uh, right. Anyways, I'm wondering if you could also check out my Ludicolo and Marshstomp-"

"Water types? I thought you took after your father? And isn't that Misty's specialty?"

"Since Pewter City is now a rock and water gym I thought I should go with the flow, you know?" said Brock, outwardly cringing at his attempt to rhyme.

Professor Oak smiled cheerfully. "Well then, I'd be more than happy to take a look at them Brock, as soon as you let me ask you one question…."

"Sure Professor, what is it-"

Professor Oak looked away for a second, his face suddenly going from a cheerful smile to a grim expression, before turning his head to face Brock. "Brock…I want you to tell me what happened back on Valencia Island."

-

"Misdreavus! Mis…Misdrevous…!" "I…I can feel it…!" wailed the female ghost.

"Missy…what's wrong…?" Marina said, holding her ghost pokémon tightly to her chest, "Please…please tell me what's wrong…"

Kenta and his Typlosion looked on in worry, wondering if their battle had hurt the ghost pokémon somehow. "Is she going to be okay? Typlosion here didn't mean to singe her that badly…"

Marina tried her best to smile at her friend, even though she wasn't sure what was wrong with her pokémon. They had been having a friendly battle only moments earlier, and she hadn't been able to tell her Misdreavus to dodge in time. This was all her fault…if only she hadn't been so distracted by…

Kenta offered one of his potions to Marina. "Take this…maybe it'll help…?"

"Misdreavus!" "You can't hear me…but try to understand master…please!" cried out the ghost pokémon to no avail.

She took the bottle and poured it on her Misdreavus, only to have the pokémon cry out in even more pain then before. Marina felt like she was about to cry, but that wouldn't do her pokémon any good, nor would it be wise to show weakness in front of Kenta, who she harbored a small crush on.

"Oh Kenta…what do you think is wrong with her? Your Typlosion's Flamethrower couldn't have caused this much pain on her…" she said in a quiet whisper, unable to take the pitiful wails and cries from her pokémon.

"I…I don't know what to do, Crystal…" he replied sadly, using her nickname as a term of endearment, since they had known each other since birth.

"Missy…Misdreavus…" "The end is coming! The end is coming!" screamed the Misdreavus.

"Oh Gold…she's in so much pain…" she said, while pulling out a pokéball from her belt and releasing the pokémon inside, which was a Jigglypuff.

"What…what are you going to do…?" Kenta asked quietly, hoping that his friend wasn't going to-

"Use your Sing attack on Missy…" she said while tossing a pair of earplugs to her friend after putting on her own, "Hurry Pink…"

"MIS! MISDREAVUS!" "NO! THE END IS NEAR! WE'VE GOT TO-"

Kenta let out a sigh of relief as the pink balloon pokémon sang the ghost pokémon to sleep, where it would feel no pain whatsoever. All they had to do now was find the nearest pokémon center to heal Misdreavus and everything would be okay again, and they could go on traveling and battling like they normally did.

_Good thing that it was nothing too serious…_he thought, as he offered a hand to Marina, who was cradling the sleeping ghost in her arms.

-

She could sense him. The Chosen One was close. Very close…

Gardevoir let itself smile as it hid itself, waiting for its prey to come. It was not inherently evil, nor was it doing this for sadistic pleasure. No…this was for a much greater purpose…

This was all for her trainer Wally…the frail and sickly boy who had raised it from a tiny and shy Ralts into an immensely powerful Gardevoir. Its mother, a Gardevoir, and its father, an Alakazam, had abandoned it at a very young age, leaving it to fend for itself amongst a horde of Zigzagoons, Poochyenas, and the occasional Pelipper. If it hadn't been for Wally catching it when he did, it probably would not have survived much longer…

In other words, it going to owe back its trainer for everything…all the love and support and kind words…all of that would be repaid once it was done with its task, even if it didn't usually approve of such things.

It smiled once more as it saw two flying pokémon descending towards the ground, one of them carrying the Chosen One…

"It is time…"

-

The room was dark, but he was used to the dark by now. The darkness didn't scare him, nor was he afraid of what could be lurking in the dark.

Fear was for the weak, a close friend had once told him. At the time it sounded like a pessimistic statement, but now…

He went over to his desk and sat down, not bothering to turn on the lamp; he had all the light he needed. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small picture frame, his hand shaking as he set it upon the table.

The picture that lay in the frame was still in good condition, having not been handled with in years. He could still see the happiness, innocence, love, and ignorance in their faces.

His three daughters stood in the front of the picture, their smiles as bright as their spirits, while he and his wife were in the back, both of them holding the youngest addition to their family.

Out of all of them, the youngest was his favorite. She looked just like her mother, especially as she got older…

"Rose…" he whispered to the frame. "Why…why did you die? It wasn't supposed to be like this…"

Jack lay the picture frame face down, unable to look at their faces anymore as he started to change into his uniform, which signified his rank as the supreme leader…

_Soon…we'll all be together again._

-

"They've touched the ground…" said Misty. "What are they going to do?"

"I don't know…"

Ash's Charizard let out a roar as it landed on the ground a few yards away from the Dragonite, ready to fight as soon as its master commanded it to.

_What are they doing? Why are they just standing there? What are they waiting for? Why is his back turned?_

"What do you want?" shouted Ash, taking out two more pokéballs since his most powerful pokémon was still at home with May. "Are you from Team Rocket? If you are, you're in for a lot of trouble because I placed fourth in the Hoenn League Tournament-"

The words died in his mouth as the mysterious figure turned around, revealing that the person wasn't a guy at all, but a girl around Ash's age…with emerald eyes…?

"Green…?" he managed to mutter out, and her response was a small smile and a nod.

-

She had to keep on running…no matter what, she had to keep on running…

_Why are they after me?_

The four of them were dressed in uniforms she had never seen before…they definitely weren't from Team Rocket…

_Why did I do to them?_

She had to keep on running…she could tell they were not friendly from the moment she stepped into her house and found them there, waiting for her…

_I'm supposed to be a hero…I helped saved the world!_

There was no one she could go to…she had made the mistake of running to the beach, which stretched for miles…

_I don't want to die…I'm not supposed to die!_

The only weapon she had against them was destroyed…they had found the musical instrument and destroyed it with a sickening crack…

_I'll never be able to call upon it again…I won't ever get to play that sweet melody again…_

Before she had met the Chosen One she didn't believe in the legends…she thought they were all just a load of crap…

_If only you were here now, Ash…_

Fatigue was starting to wear her down…she felt like she had been running forever…

_I hope you're not going to suffer the same as me…_

She couldn't keep going…she didn't have enough time…

_Misty once told me that you were never going to be alone, because you have her with you…_

She tripped, quickly falling face first into the sand, her pursuers quickly picking up their pace…

_I hope she'll be able to protect you…I hope you'll remember me…_

Melody managed to pick herself up from the sand, only to get kicked in the ribs by another one of them.

"You're not going anywhere..." one of them said, and she wanted to scream and shout, but she didn't have the strength to do either of those things.

"What…what are you going to do?" she asked quietly, not wanting to give them the pleasure of seeing her defeated expression…

She felt cold metal steel press against her temple, causing her to shiver with fear; she was going to die.

"You should consider yourself lucky, the leader of Team Aqua himself ordered this hit on you…you must be really important or something…" said another voice, this time female.

Melody remembered a dream she had a few nights ago…she could see two titans fighting, more viciously then anything the legendary birds had done…every time the two titans clashed the world shook and shivered, as if it was coming to an end…

She had thought it was only a dream, but now she realized that it was a premonition of things to come…

"Any last words, bitch?"

Melody fought back the urge to cry. "Go to hell-"

BLAM.

There was silence as she fell to the soft sand with a quiet thud, her essence slowly draining from her as the four Team Aqua members left the scene.

**To be continued**


	5. Others

_Dedicated to Amber Skye, who told me to finish this story._

**Ascension**

**Chapter Five: Others**

Professor Felina Ivy was often considered to be the most brilliant mind in the world, rivaled only by her contemporary Professor Samuel Oak. While Professor Elm and Professor Birch were quickly gaining popularity, she was still considered one of the foremost experts on Pokémon.

Thankfully her genius usually tended to apply to all versions of her, which made it easy for another Ivy to kill the original and take her place without anyone noticing.

The only one who saw through her ruse was the squinty eyed assistant that had noticed something was wrong from the start. She was amused by this, as she considered her acting skills to be top notch; there was no way he could have possibly known.

But he did know, and because of this he always acted defensively around her, even the times when she invited him to share her bed.

He would shake his head at her advances, although she finally broke his resolve during that very special night they shared.

Of course, he left the next day, leaving behind everything except his pokémon. She had broken him using her vast knowledge of human psychology and sexuality; it would be a long while before he would even be able to return to a sense of normalcy. With Brock out of the way, she was able to go about her business without him interfering with her affairs.

Her hands deftly flew across the keyboard placed in front of her, glancing at the four computer terminals that surrounded her workstation. She sighed, wishing that this reality had been as technologically advanced as her own.

_Of course, technology always experiences leaps whenever there's a war_, she mused. _This world is too damn peaceful for my tastes._

She was used to the sounds of gunfire or screams of death floating through her window; instead, she was treated to the sound of a particularly sunny day, with pokémon crawling and flying about, making those annoying sounds that always made her want to rip and tear and kill.

But she kept her cool demeanor on the surface, as she didn't want anyone to catch on to her just yet. Those assistants of hers were not nearly as bright as the squinty eyed boy, but she didn't want to arouse their suspicions anymore than she already had.

She typed in a few commands, causing one of her computer terminals to become a vidphone. She dialed and waited a few moments, thankful that she had muted that damned ring-ring-ring that accompanied most phones of this type.

Within moments a figure appeared on the screen. Ivy noted sardonically that the figure was cloaked in shadow, highly unusual even for her.

"What's with the cliché?" Ivy asked, smirking.

The figure, a woman by the shape of her figure, did not respond to the Professor's barbs or appear amused at all.

Ivy sighed, wishing her boss had a sense of humor about things. "You shouldn't be so dark all the time. It'll ruin your girlish figure."

"Spare me. Give me your report, Ivy," the figure said.

"Things are going as planned. Many of the key players have now shown their faces. Everything is going according to your plan."

The figure nodded. "I see. What of his plans? Does he have any idea?"

Ivy shook her head, bored with this exchange but obligated to continue. "The fool doesn't have a clue that he's only a pawn in the grand scheme of things."

"That is excellent news, Professor Ivy. Your team has done quite well infiltrating this reality," the figure said. "Have you made contact with the…Others?"

Ivy visibly frowned. "I don't see why we need help from outsiders, ma'am. My team has done fine without such-"

The figure interrupted her ramblings with a wave of her hand. "They are important to our plans. You know that as well as I do, Ivy. Tell me the status of them…_now_."

The shift in the tone of her voice frightened Ivy, as she knew the consequences for disobeying. She felt her throat tighten with fear, as scenarios raced in her head, all of them ending with her dying a terrible, painful death.

"The Others," she said, her voice wavering with fear, "have been found. I have already acquired the girl who had been lost. I need a little more time to capture the rest."

She shifted terminal, to a corner of the room, which held a girl dressed in a blue uniform seen only in the Hoenn region. She had red hair, much like her mother before her, and she looked older despite the fact that she was only twenty The girl was unconscious, held in an energy cage based on pokéball technology, retrofitted for humans. She was effectively in stasis, ready to be released when needed.

"I do not see the point in having her. She's a dangerous one. She is completely unlike the Misty of the primary reality," she noted, her face contorted with disgust. "From what my biological scans have detected she is five years older than the target. She also seems to have unusual brain patterns. My physical examination of the girl shows that she has repeatedly been subjected to physical and sexual abuse."

"What is your point, Ivy," the figure asked, her tone turning icy.

"She is a waste, nothing more than a scarred little girl. Why do we even need her or the Others?"

The figure sidestepped the issue. "You will do as you are told, Ivy. Do not forget your place."

Ivy paused, before answering meekly with a nod of her head.

"You will find the remaining Others, and use them to find the Chosen. Do what must be done, Ivy. Do not fail like your predecessor did," said the figure, before the screen turned blank on Ivy.

Ivy stared at the screen, all too knowing of what happened to the person who originally held her position. She would kill everyone before she let what happen to him happen to her. No, she would not suffer the same fate. She would not fail.

She turned her attention on the girl, wondering what made her special out of the millions and millions of Mistys they had access to. She was a homicidal, depressing, easily led individual…completely the opposite of the original. What was her role in this game?

Ivy shook her head, clearing her mind of such thoughts and turning her attention towards the computer terminals. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up pictures and files. She hummed to herself, the glow of the computer screen reflecting on her face as she typed more information, triangulating the position of the remaining Others.

While Ivy did this, the red-haired girl held in the corner of the room dreamt of a boy named Ash, a boy that she had killed before, in another time and another reality.

**-**

"The boss will be angry with us," mumbled one of the grunts, his face beginning to pale. "He's going to kill us."

His companion hissed at him. "You idiot, it's your fault that Melody girl is dead. If you hadn't been so hasty we could've found out the location of Lugia, but now we're even worse off than when we started!"

The man flinched at her words, knowing full well that he acted too hastily. He couldn't help being so trigger happy, especially when it came to killing little girls. However, he wasn't about to let that dead girl be the reason why he would be dead in an hour.

"Check her again, maybe she has one of the Artifacts on her?" she suggested, pointing her gun towards the now cold body of Melody.

He sighed and bent down, unabashed in his probing of the dead girl that he had killed only an hour ago. He felt around until he touched an unusually hard object; he took it and examined it under the light, and for the life of him could not figure out what it was.

"That's a traditional flute…they have those all around these islands," the female grunt noted, eyeing the object carefully.

He blinked at it, not finding it at all special. "Could this be it? It was the only thing I could find on her. Bitch hid it real good. Had to search for it…there, and there."

She frowned at him. "You're a goddamn pervert."

"It's all part of the job," he said with a mock-serious tone.

He tossed the flute-object around, juggling it between his hands. "So this is one of the Artifacts. It's so small. Do you think we can use this to summon Lugia?"

"With the girl dead it might be a problem, but I'm sure the scientists back in the lab will figure out a way. Let's go before anyone sees us with the body."

He nodded in agreement, and the two of them left the scene hastily, neither noticing a soft blue tinted glow coming from the girl they left behind.

-

"Norie?" Ash whispered, in disbelief at the sight before him.

She walked over to him, as perfectly graceful as one would expect from an angel, and gave him a warm hug. Misty felt something strange clutch at her heart as she watched the two, but she chose to remain quiet until she could hear them speak.

"It's been a long time, Ash," she said. "You've grown up… managed to fill out better than I expected for such a scrawny boy."

He scratched at his face, blushing deeply. "Oh, well you know, I had to survive in the wild – just like you – so it got me all toughened up."

"I can see that," she smiled knowingly, her hand tracing over his chest. "Nice clothes. Better than the ones I've seen in pictures. You must've changed for once."

Misty put a hand to her own chest, feeling her heart hurt in a way she did not expect. It was as if some pressure was being applied to it, similar to how she felt when she first heard about May. She had never seen Ash talk to someone so candidly, not to her or the other girl, the few times she had seen them together. How come she had never heard of her before?

Dragonite and Charizard were eyeing each other warily, neither of them comfortable with the presence of the other. However, neither of their trainers paid much attention to them, as they were focused on each other instead.

"Have you changed, Norie?" Ash asked, his tone surprisingly serious and vulnerable.

An unusual smile appeared on the girl's face. "You have no idea."

-

"…and that's what happened to me on Valencia Island, Professor Oak," Brock finished, his head hung low, unable to meet the older man's eyes out of shame.

Professor Oak remained quiet, closing his eyes and mulling over the information that had been given to him by the squint eyed boy. The idea of a fellow researcher like him doing that to a young man was impossible. She could not have possibly done the things Brock had described in painful detail. He had known the woman for far too long for her to hide something like that from him, yet he also knew that the former gym leader would never lie to him.

"I am sorry that all of that happened, Brock," he said soothingly. "I had an idea that something traumatizing had happened to you, but I thought it was a rejection of sorts. It didn't occur to me that Professor Ivy-"

Brock held himself and started to shiver uncontrollably.

"Sorry. It didn't occur to me that the Professor was doing those sorts of things to you. But don't worry any longer Brock; I'll get to the bottom of this. She won't do anything like that ever again."

_You better have a damn good reason for the things you've done, Ivy_, Oak thought to himself, as he watched the boy hold himself, eyes closed and shivering.

-

Things had gone so horribly wrong. This was not the way she had planned things. No, not at all!

She could still influence events, still change things. She needed to fix things before _it_ happened.

But there were those that would interfere with her plans. There was _her_, and _him_, and _them_. All of them could potentially impede on her plans, and ruin the years of progress she had made.

Then there was her Other. She knew that her Other knew more than she let on to her friends and family, and that she possibly had an idea of what she was doing. She needed to find a way to stop her Other before she had a chance to inform the Chosen of her plans.

She would've liked to have her hands on the Artifacts, but certain other factions were already hunting for them. Of the ten Artifacts, six of them had already been retrieved. Her faction only had three of them so far. This did not please her, especially given the power she possessed, as well as the technology her subordinates had been graciously been given.

She sighed. If only she could do it herself.

All she could do now, was wait until he subordinates reported to her on the remaining Others. The one that had been _lost _was only recently found; the remaining Others would soon be under her control.

Only once all the players were in place would she make her move.

**To be continued**


	6. Shadow

**Ascension**

**Chapter Six: Shadow**

The Orre Region was the most lawless of them all, easily beating Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn in all criminal categories. It was an arid, desert wasteland, almost completely devoid of life aside from the scattered settlements. It was so inhospitable that wild pokémon were no where to be seen; they either were already owned by the few trainers that resided there, or they were property of Team Snagem and/or Team Cipher, the two most powerful criminal elements in the region.

Wes, who had ruined Team Cipher's plans for world domination five years ago, was now on the run, along with his constant companion Rui. He had once been a member of Team Snagem, capturing and turning pokémon into shadow versions.

However, one day he found himself stealing a portable snag machine and destroying most of Team Snagem headquarters. He later realized that something deep inside him was telling him to do all those things, as if some higher power was guiding him. Soon afterwards he had met Rui, and from there they went on an adventure, eventually successful in ousting the former mayor of Phenac City as the leader of Team Cipher.

But it was now five years later, and they had to keep on running. Something was chasing them, hunting them down with a brutal efficiency.

He had killed for the first time recently, when a familiar man had cornered Rui in a dark alleyway in The Under, intending to harm her or do unspeakable things to her. He killed whatever the creature was with his bare hands.

Only once he was done with the dark deed did he realize that the man had an undeniable resemblance…to himself. He had the same white hair, the same facial features, even the same birthmark on his right hand. Rui had told him that this was the reason why the man had gotten so close to her, because she had mistaken the stranger for Wes.

Rui had cried later that night, feeling responsible for the death of the stranger who looked like Wes. Wes had assured her that it was the only option he had, but still she wept and sobbed and cried through the night.

Rui was a very kind and sweet girl, having not changed in that department in the last five years. She was stronger though, the Orre region having toughened her up considerably. Not to mention being around Wes all the time, who tried his best not to seem too emotionless. She was special, he had realized from the very beginning, when she displayed an ability to see beyond the veil, to see the dark aura that surrounded only Shadow Pokémon.

Before they were on the run they had been continuing their journey of purifying all the Shadow Pokémon in the region, which never seemed to end. In fact, lately it felt like there was a rise of Shadow Pokémon in the area…but they had no time to investigate that, because now they were on the run from some dark force that had also sent that other Wes.

"Wes, they're close," Rui whispered, clutching to his arm and closing her eyes fearfully. "We have to go now."

Wes held her and led the way to his motorbike, knowing that the dark force hunting them was after Rui and the very special gift she possessed.

He did not know that they were also after the other Artifact in his possession, resting comfortably in his arm for the last five years.

The Other assigned to them smiled in the shadows nearby, savoring the moment before following behind them.

-

Michael was beginning to worry. The Orre region was a tough place to live, he knew, but this was getting ridiculous!

The rise in shadow pokémon was increasing by the day. Things had gotten so bad that several Pokémon Rangers had been sent by distant regions in order to keep control of the situation in Orre. However, they were arriving in small numbers due to an apparent shortage.

Michael did his best to help out, especially since he felt Orre could still be saved, still somehow have value despite being such a harsh place to live in. He would make it better, one purified pokémon at a time.

What was worrying him the most was the attention that was being placed on his snag machine. A number of people asked him about it, and one particularly zealous stranger attempted to steal it from him recently. Something about it being important…but he couldn't tell what for.

He had to be extra careful that one of those nut jobs didn't go after his sister Jovi in order to get to him, cause then things would have to get ugly.

-

It watched silently at the display, a knowing look on its features.

Latias did not like this place, did not like the cold shadows and the constant drip-drip-drip in the cavern that she found herself in. Around her was an assortment of pokémon, as well as a small group of shadow pokémon that had not yet been purified.

She looked towards it, knowing that it had assembled them here for a special purpose. She had initially refused its offer, preferring to stay by her island, but recently events had caused her to reconsider.

She, like all other psychics, could feel the balance of the world suddenly being shifted.

Psychics all over the world could sense that trouble was brewing, although the details were hard to ascertain.

Even Mewtwo, the one who had brought them all together, had a vague knowledge of what was to come. It knew that others, such as a Gardevoir and a human girl named Rui, had significantly more knowledge.

This puzzled Mewtwo, as it was considered one of the premier psychics in the entire world. Very few could match it, barring a handful of humans and significantly strong pokémon.

It had sent a telepathic message to the legendaries, yet only Articuno, Entei, and Latias responded to the call. Its mother and the remaining legendaries were no where to be found. What could have happened to them? How could they manage to completely disappear from his psychic radar?

"What is happening?" Latias meekly asked.

"I do not know," it tiredly replied. "It's like a veil of shadow has been placed in front of my eyes."

**To be continued**


	7. Mother

**Ascension**

**Chapter Seven: Mother**

The green-and-white psychic pokémon struck, rushing toward the assembled group without hesitation or fear. The only thing on its mind was destruction.

Green didn't know what hit her as she fell to the ground on her knees, holding her head in pain. Ash reacted quickly, scanning the area for any possible reason for what was happening to his friend. Was it Team Rocket with another harebrained scheme?

"Norie!" he cried out in fear. "What's happening?"

She closed her eyes in pain, while her Dragonite tried to feel for the presence of anything that was out of place in the environment. Its antennae twitched, and it turned its head toward the position of where energy was coming from. Without a command from its trainer it fired a Hyper Beam in the general direction, causing the Gardevoir to appear out of thin air, its camouflage effectively ruined.

"A wild pokémon?" Ash said with surprise, instinctively reaching for the pokéballs on his belt, the ones that he had inadvertently left at home. "Why is it attacking?"

Dragonite flew past Ash and toward the Gardevoir, intent on defending its master from any harm. The psychic pokémon put up a Reflect barrier at the last minute, causing Dragonite to bounce off it with a loud crash. While it struggled to regain its surroundings the Gardevoir levitated towards the group, glowing with blue and yellow energy.

"I will destroy you, Chosen One," it said, directing its hand and unleashing a Thunderbolt combined with Psychic energy at its target.

-

"You're Steven Stone, aren't you? You're the current pokémon master for Hoenn?"

Steven gave the man a cold glare. "I thought your team had been disbanded by Ash."

The grunt smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "We're under new management. The boss wants you dead. Said you were the kind to meddle in affairs that don't concern you. Too powerful to let loose, a wildcard you are."

The grunt didn't get a chance to finish, as he suddenly fell to the ground with a loud crash, his gun slipping carelessly out of his hand. Steven was surprised to see Phoebe, the ghost specialist of the Elite Four, behind the man, a Dusclops by her side.

"Sir, we need you to come to Evergrande City. You're not safe here," she said.

He followed her wordlessly, knowing things must be very serious if one of the Elite Four was sent to protect him. That gun toting grunt wasn't just some random thug, but from the looks of it part of a much bigger plot.

Where did he fit in the grand scheme of things?

-

Delia ran as fast as her legs could take her, her Mr. Mime struggling to keep up with her.

Ash, her son, was in danger. Every part of her body was telling her that something was wrong; something close to her was in trouble. All she knew was that she needed to be there and protect him.

He was close now, she could feel him. There he was, lying on the ground, hurt! A psychic pokémon was close by; she could hear its thoughts, its feelings, and the power surging from its body. It wanted to kill her boy so badly it hurt.

_No!_ Delia thought angrily. _You will not harm him!_

Mr. Mime instinctively rushed over toward the psychic pokémon, a barrier forming in its hands, while its owner took out an old looking pokéball and twisted the cap, calling out its name.

"Snorlax, go!" she cried out, and a red light came out of the ball, with a large pokémon materializing soon after. "Tackle that Gardevoir!"

It rushed over, surprisingly fast for such a large pokémon, and smashed into the Gardevoir, sending it flying into a tree, not knowing what had hit it before it was too late.

"What in the world?" it groaned, getting back to its feet quickly and sensing two more pokémon to deal with. "Looks like this won't be as easy as I thought it would be."

It glowed with psychic and electric energy, preparing to fire off another combined Thunderbolt-Psychic attack.

-

"Finally," Ivy said, leaning back in her chair, "I've finally found all of them. It won't be long before they're brought here."

What would take the average person years only took Ivy a few hours. For her, it was a simple matter of calculating and balancing equations in regards to going through all of reality to find them. It was almost a tedious task for her, and she wished for something more challenging after this was over.

She looked over to the girl that had been lost. She seemed peaceful sleeping there. No would have known that right before she had been retrieved she had killed a boy named Brock.

Ivy turned away and looked at her computer screen, reviewing the codenames of each of the nine Others. Her boss had personally given each of them their respective codenames after reviewing their files; Ivy thought they sounded odd, but she didn't risk telling her that for fear of death…or worse.

The Lost.

The Collector.

The Imitator.

The Darkness.

The Mind.

The Beast.

The Shadow.

The Destroyer.

The Red.

These nine were essentially tools; all of them were a means to an end. Each of them came from a different reality, a place where they had done something that completely set them apart from their original. Each of them would be difficult to control if left by themselves, but Ivy assured her boss that she would find a way. She was, after all, the most brilliant mind in all reality.

-

"Officer Jenny, what can I do for you today?" Nurse Joy asked sweetly.

The officer looked the worse for wear, as if she had not slept enough. "I had a bad dream, Joy."

A look of concern washed over the nurse's face. "Jenny…? What's wrong?"

The two of them had been friends ever since they were children. The two of them were not like the others…they had their own personalities and their own goals in life. They didn't fit in with their own sisters, so the two thought of each other as family instead.

As the eldest of their respective families, they had been stationed in Viridian City when the gym had opened up there years ago. Luckily for them, both of them had been transferred there together by order of The Pokémon League.

Both of them were there when Ash first started out, as well.

"I had a strange dream. You remember that one kid with a Pikachu?" Jenny said, her face looking pale.

Joy nodded. Most trainers coming from Pallet Town had either been given a Squirtle, Charmander, or Bulbasaur by Professor Oak; a Pikachu was a rare case for such a young trainer, so he was quite memorable. That and he nearly destroyed the pokémon center all those years ago…it had taken years to fix the ceiling as well as the bike that had been left behind.

"Well, here's the thing. I had a dream last night. I don't usually have dreams, cause I usually don't dream about anything."

Joy nodded, urging her longtime friend to continue.

"The thing is, last night I saw that kid and his Pikachu. I saw fire…lots of fire. And people…dying. And then a blue light…" she said, rubbing at her temples.

"Fire? People dying? A blue light?" Joy repeated, pondering what the significance was. She had some training as a psychologist, as a Nurse Joy was required to be proficient in matters of human health as well. Dreams often symbolized something important, at least, that's whatshe remembered hearing at a course she took when she was first training.

What could all of that possibly mean?

-

"Give up, unless you all want to die as well!" roared the psychic pokémon, firing off blasts of psychic and electric energy at the pokémon attacking it.

Charizard and Dragonite fired off blast after blast at the Gardevoir, each time unsuccessful as its Light Screen was particularly potent. Starmie was darting around the psychic pokémon, firing combined shots of Water Gun and Psybeam to little effect. Mr Mime had been knocked out early in the battle, its inexperience in battle all to apparent.

Green was already up and about, suffering only minor injuries, while Ash was still woozy from taking a direct shot by the psychic pokémon. He had been attacked before by pokémon, but never with such violent intent. He could make out another figure, a feminine one, fighting alongside Green and Misty.

_May?_ he thought, his mind still hazy. _No…mother? Is that you, mom?_

"Don't move too quickly Ash," Misty said, taking notice that he was struggling to stand up, "we'll take care of this! Just sit back and watch!"

His mother desperately wanted to go over to her son and cradle him in her arms, but she needed to finish off this pokémon quickly before it caused anymore damage.

"Use Brick Break on those barriers Snorlax! Without those protecting it we can knock it out!" she commanded skillfully.

The rotund pokémon complied obediently, using its large body to break through the Reflect and Light Screen barriers that the Gardevoir had put up, as if they were made of glass. The other three pokémon took this opportunity and fired all at once, hitting the psychic square in the chest and sending it crashing to the ground, smoke rising from its chest.

Ash stared in amazement, wondering where his mom learned how to battle so effectively. Was she a trainer and never told him? He passed out, feeling overwhelmed from the display and the wounds he had taken earlier.

_I have failed...please forgive me, master…_ was the Gardevoir's last thought before too losing consciousness.

As soon as it stopped moving Delia rushed over to her son, with Misty, Green, and the rest of their pokémon following behind them.

**To be continued**

Author's note:

I've grown to hate making author's notes (they take up valuable space and I would rather have the work speak for itself), and I will probably delete this after the next chapter is up.

Green is from the manga and games (check **serebii(dot)net** for a picture of her).She's not an author created character. I originally named her Amy, but then renamed her to Julia (she had no English equivalent at the time) because I realized Ash and Gary both match the letters for Red and Blue.

Red 3 letters, Ash 3 letters; Gary 4, Blue 4. Norie 5, Green 5. Got it?

These are the English names given to Green when you choose her in Pokémon Leaf Green: Norie, Kiko, Amanda, Paula, Rey, Omi, Mina, Leaf, Sai, Makey (too weird), June, Michi (eh), Hillary, and Green. Out of all these names, I have chosen Norie as the new official name for Green, as it contains 5 letters (matching the 5 in Green) and it's quirky like the name Ash. I've already updated all chapters of Ascension to reflect this new name change.

Wes and Rui are from **Pokémon Colosseum**, while Michael is the hero to the sequel, entitled **Pokémon XD**; both Gamecube games. Shadow Pokémon are corrupted pokémon who have their moves replaced by Shadow moves. Team Snagem and Team Cipher are both the main villains in the two games.

Pokémon Rangers are from **Pokémon Ranger** for the DS.


	8. Faith

**Ascension**

**Chapter Eight: Faith**

It watched fearfully as it was hung upside down by its wings, too tired to resist, too drained to fight any longer.

They had taken it from its home and family during the night, where they proceeded to beat it to the point where its left eye no longer worked. It hadn't a clue of where it was or how it got there, as it had quickly drifted off into an unconscious state during the struggle.

And now they were hanging it upside down, the only thing supporting it were the spikes being driven into its wings.

"We hope that this sacrifice will bring us blessings, oh great one," a woman in a blue uniform whispered, kneeling at the base of where the dying pokémon was attached to.

Butterfree looked around and found an old friend close by, the Pidgeot that it used to be in the same team with. It didn't dawn on Butterfree that the Pidgeot, also upside down, was already dead. It didn't matter though, because Butterfree couldn't even speak anymore.

"We have brought you the first and second pokémon of the Chosen. We hope it will please you, oh great and revered one," said a man, his voice shaking as he spoke.

The bug pokémon knew at this point that it would no longer see its mate or offspring in this lifetime: it was going to die. With its one good eye it tried to see who their great one was…who the person that condemned it to death was.

Although it was upside down and with vision deteriorating fast, Butterfree could see a man sitting in an elaborately decorated chair, staring at it with empty eyes.

Jack Waterflower knew that this was barbaric, but he allowed things to continue. He would let the fools to think that this was all a religious affair, that the Chosen One would save them if they captured him and used him. While some joined the new Team Aqua for power and money, others joined after witnessing the first time Kyogre and Groudon fought all those months ago. This near-apocalypse reawakened the fear of a higher power, and the reigniting of long buried faith.

He misled some Team Aqua members into thinking that sacrificing some of the Chosen One's old pokémon would make a difference. In reality, he just wanted to make sure that the Chosen One did not have any unexpected backup. Jack's troops had already managed to eliminate the Primeape, Lapras, Beedrill and Raticate, all formerly owned by the Chosen One.

The only pokémon left was the Haunter now owned by Sabrina, the psychic gym leader. There was something special about that Haunter, as it was there when the Chosen One first died and came back to life. He had sent particularly fervent followers to capture it and bring it back to him for further study.

He watched as the Butterfree, one of the oldest of the Chosen One's pokémon, twitched violently, not long for this world.

His grunts had failed him the previous day when they tried to retrieve the Artifact. There were ten Artifacts, yet he only had a small portion of them…he needed them all, as they were essiential to the Ascension. Without them, his plans to revive his dead wife would not be realized.

_Rose…_

The Butterfree was shrieking with pain, and he had faith that he was ultimately doing the right thing.

-

The Shadow had been found before The Lost, yet he was designated as the seventh of the Others. This minor detail did not bother the one codenamed as The Shadow, as he was quite satisfied with the assignment given to him anyhow.

He was told to trail a man that looked very much like him, as well as a woman very much like the one he had tortured for over five years in his own reality.

The Rui he had such fond memories of always screamed when he touched her, but after three years in his company she had lost that ability sadly. He was looking forward to hearing her scream again, even if it was a different version of her.

Such small details like that did not bother him, after all.

He was close behind them, easily able to follow since the clouds were out, obscuring the sun and blanketing the arid desert with shadows. From there it was a simple matter of jumping from shadow to shadow, his powers seemingly enhanced by that Professor Ivy woman. He had a feeling that the collar put on him was there more so that she could keep control of him than increase his abilities, but he didn't care.

He didn't care at all, just as long as he could get his hands around that Rui girl's delicate neck.

-

James and Jessie had arrived on the scene too late yesterday; they only thing they saw was the twerp being shot in the chest by an attack, then falling unconscious. They had never seen him injured like that; even they were not that cruel.

They had left the scene shortly after, pondering on their next plan of attack.

"Would it be in bad taste to steal the twerp's Pikachu now?" Jessie asked.

James and Meowth looked at each other, before turning to Jessie and saying, "Yeah."

"It just wouldn't be right, you know? It would be pretty dirty to do something like that when the kid was injured like that," Meowth elaborated.

"I wonder what was with that pokémon that was attacking him," James pondered, crossing his arms. "I've never see anything attack the twerp so viciously before. Its like it wanted to kill him!"

"It did," Meowth answered quietly. "It was aiming for the kid's heart…trying to stop it with an electric shock. Trust me, I could tell."

The trio fell silent, horrified at the thought.

-

May watched Ash as he slept, her eyes tired from all the crying she had done last night when they brought him in. She was told that a pokémon had attacked him, and that they managed to subdue it. His Pikachu was on her lap, quietly looking at its trainer with wide, worry filled eyes.

She held on to his hand, feeling so foolish for being selfish earlier.

"I like you Ash," she said quietly, "I'm sorry that I'm so immature sometimes. It's just…I really don't want to lose you."

She was so focused talking to Ash that she did not notice Norie peeking from the hallway.

"You've only known me a short amount of time compared to Misty," she continued, "so it's natural that I get a little jealous, you know? I'm sorry."

Brock once told her that Ash had died at least twice before, but he always managed to get back up again. The wounds he had suffered weren't life threatening, so he was in no chance of dying.

May rubbed his hair affectionately, willing to wait by his side until he woke up, no matter how long it would take.

"When you wake, I'll be the first face you see. I promise you, Ash. I won't leave your side until then," she whispered to him, holding his hand firmly.

Norie left the hallway unnoticed, leaving the young girl alone with her boyfriend.

-

Gary observed the pokémon held in the unusually large pokéball (it was taller than him), a display window in place of where the button would be on a normal sized ball. His grandfather had created this machine for dire situations where pokémon were too dangerous to be held in a normal ball.

It had been quiet ever since yesterday, refusing to speak to anyone including Professor Oak. Ash's mother had stared at it earlier, yet said nothing the entire time she was in the room; Gary thought she just wanted to make sure it was securely locked up.

Gary pressed a button on the ball, allowing for the display window to turn into two-way mode. The Gardevoir looked up, finding itself being watched by a human boy, no doubt a friend of the Chosen One.

It would not speak for any of them.

"Tell me why you attacked Ash," he said quietly, staring it in the eyes.

It charged up energy, only to suddenly stop, a look of frustration in its eyes.

"It won't work. This containment unit dampens your power. It's best if you just answer my questions. Now, why did you attack Ash Ketchum?"

It looked away from him, bored with his presence, wondering idly if it could overload the system with its powers.

He slammed a hand against the display window, growing angry with the creature inside. "Tell me why!"

The Gardevoir merely smiled, then looked away, clearly refusing to answer any questions. Gary left the room after turning off the display window, knowing that he might have to resort to more unsavory methods to get that pokémon talking.

He became uneasy even thinking about it, but he wasn't left with much of a choice. He saw that Gardevoir had a look in its eyes…the kind of look that meant that it knew something big, something it would kill for.

-

"Your Snorlax is doing fine, Delia, still in astounding shape…" he said, finishing his examinations.

She nodded, looking lost in thought. "Thank you, Professor."

"Its the fastest Snorlax I've ever seen in this region, you know," he continued, handing the pokéball to her. "Most I've seen don't even come close to matching its speed."

"It's all a matter of feeding it the right vitamins, I suppose," she said, departing towards the door.

The Professor sighed. "He'll be fine Delia. Don't worry, Gary and I will get to the bottom of this. Brock and Tracey are running tests on the Gardevoir's data, determining which trainer it belongs to. If its registered, we'll have found the culprit for this mess."

She paused, hovering near the door. "Thank you Professor, but a mother can't help but worry about her son."

"Are you going to get the rest of your pokémon?" he sighed wearily.

"Yes," was her simple reply, as she headed towards the ranch connected to the Professor's lab.

She knew the pain of losing a child, once upon a time. She would do everything in her power to make sure she did not have to feel that pain again.

**To be continued**


End file.
